Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-04-04
PLENTY OF LUSH.
HOW PROHIBITION WORKS IN MAINE.
Drunkenness on the Increase in Large Towns
and Cities.

days of agitation for high license elsewhere
in the States, the radical prohibition
leaders of Maine elamor for more represslye
law
Said a Portland gentleman the other
day: Nothing short of making the sale Of
liquor a capital offence, with the punish
ment of drawing and quartering, would
satisfy General Neal Dow"
The reason why the Legislature con-
stantly adds to the penalties is simply be-
cause prohibition does not prohibit. And
the radical teetotalers, seeing the groand
SHINING out from under their feet even
with the cast iron repressive code already
at their disposal, demand more law.
| The legislators grant the boon with
smile and wink. They know what 1t all VIII
amount to.
Prohibition does not prohibit in single
Maine city.
The liquor traffic fiOurishes in Portland
despite the fact that there are three special
! s.Iiuuor deputies" in other words, deputy
sherifls appointed to devote their time to the
suppression of liquor selling and to nothing
else.
1874 DRINKS.
Last year 679 persons were arrested
here for drunkenness, 6s2 for drunkenness
and disturbance, II as common drunkards
and III for assaults committed whlle
drunk. Two murders were committed by
intoxicated persons, and young man was
found dead under circumstances that
made it a certainty that he had been muir
dered. IL was discovered that he had
been drinking with some companions the
greater part of the previous night. vi
| the number arrested, rs above stated, 1877
were women and 244 minors. OF course,
but very few of those actually seen in
toxicated on the streets were arrested.
Drunkenness is on the increase here. A
boy of seven years created quite an excite
ment on Exchange street last Sunday. He
was fighting drunk and absolutely refused
to 90 home
This is Il city of some forty thousand in
| habitants. 1t
HAS NOT A SINGLE SALOON
in the ordinary acceptance OF the term. III
has, however, hundreds Of places where
liquors can be Obtaincd-that IL, "hard
liuuor"-and il deserves its name. lntoXI-
cation follows a comparatively slight IN
diligence in this hard liquor" generally
of home manufacture.
Beer eau be obtained without much
trouble, but it is more liable to be seized.
Its manufacture has been prohibited in
Maine for many years, and all that Is Ob-
tanned must be run in either over the rail
roads or boat. OF course very large
percentage of all that is ordered seized and
DESTROYED. Still, rs one man said yester-
day, "Il you can get - load through II
pays" A syndicate was formed last
summer and three old schOOners bought.
These forming what was called the beer
fleet" were run between Boston and various
points OF Maine, and escaped seizure all the
season.
And after the beer has run through"
it is necessary to find
A SAFE PLACE OF CONCEALMENT
FOL it. There must he hiding place for
the stock" and ut least three to watch
| for the officers, to guard the door, admit
ting none but the favored and safe
class, and to deal it out. Elaborate
traps" axe constructed for the sate-keep.
iDg of liquors and for the destruction Of
the stock if officers are reported at hand.
All this in Portand-Neal BOWS home
where the law il in some degree en-
| forced
How is it elsewhere? The Rev. +. S.
Stackpole, of Bath, recently gave some sta
tistics of the liquor traffic OF his city. Bath
has population of 5000 Last year
| thirtY-three United States licenses were
taken ont. There are fifty shops at least.
Mr.. Stackpole says they average % 4 night
on 81, $50 per year for each shop, or total
of 500, 900 But hein:jmatcs that the total
liquor bill for the city every year is SlS',-
900. As contrast to this bill for liquors,
Mr. StackpOle gives some other figures:
Liquor bill every year. SlSO,OOO; school
bill, SIC, 900, bill for the support OF all the
churches, S20, 900.
Take Belfast for another example.
Speaking Of the recent municipal cleo
ton a Belfast paper said
The